Part E
Sinuosity is a measure of how much a river meanders or curves. It is a ratio of the river’s entire curved length compared to a straight path from the river’s beginning to its end. According to this formula, a straight river would have a sinuosity equal to 1 because its entire length is equal to its straight-line length. A river that curves would have a sinuosity greater than one.


Calculate and record the sinuosity of your river. Then, based on the diagram, rate the river as straight, sinuous, or meandering. To obtain your river length, snake a piece of string through your river bed, and then measure the string’s length with your ruler. For the straight line length, measure the distance from the beginning of your river to the end along a straight path.